SwAnKy
by Xielas
Summary: Wendy and Joker go out to dinner on a stormy night and Wendy recieves an unwanted visitor from the past in her apartment. R.O.Dthe TV timeline because Junior is included. JokerWendy
1. Swanky Restaurants and Madmen

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and they are property of their respected creators.

OOC: Mr. Joker and Wendy may seem slightly out of character, but enjoy anyway. )

The dark sky made little, if any impression in the mind of the handsomely dressed man. He was, after all, in an incomprehensively expensive car and had focused just about every ounce of his concentration on getting to his destination safely. The elegant woman next to him chattered on, not needing any response the rambles that came from her mouth. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and the skies poured down the rainwater onto the earth. Mr. Joker reached out at switched the headlights of his car to their brightest setting, illuminating the darkness of the stormy night. He turned the sleek vehicle into the driveway of a large building, which was evidently a very high-class restaurant. He smiled and reached out for the umbrella at his feet and made haste to get out of the car and open the thing. Wendy thought it was very considerate of him to hold the umbrella over her as she emerged from the vehicle and smiled back at her boss, noting how incredibly dashing he looked in a tuxedo.

Mr. Joker could not seem to tear his gaze away from his secretary, for today she was the epitome of elegance and grace. Wendy was clad in a somewhat slinky black dress, one that left her shoulders bare. On her feet were black high heels that added to the grace that radiated from her and about her neck was a strand of pearls. She was most certainly not the same person since the disaster at the library. Miss Earhart was no longer the clumsy, klutz that he once knew. She was now a woman of grace and she had lost much of her whimsy, sadly, to the hardness of life. She was still kind and compassionate, but now she was much more devoted and serious than she once was. Somehow all of this seemed to attract Mr. Joker to her, though he made sure that she would not suspect.

The blonde gentleman took Wendy's arm in his and walked her to the intricate glass door that was the entrance to the restaurant, tossing his keys to the uniformed man at the door. The man waltzed to Mr. Joker's car and quickly drove it into a parking place and then made haste to return to his post.

Soft, classical music filled their ears as the two, boss and secretary, entered the restaurant and made way to the front desk. Wendy accidentally let the gasp she was hiding in escape from her lips as she saw the gorgeous view that she beheld. Candles on each table lighted the dining area and a breathtaking chandelier made of crystal hung from the whitewashed ceiling. The entire place seemed to glow warmly and was comforting.

"Mr. Joker…are you sure about this? It's awfully nice…" Wendy spoke slowly, still gazing out at the restaurant still.

"Come now, Wendy," he smiled, "You deserve it with all the work you've done these past months. No expense spared." Wendy could've sworn that she saw his teeth sparkle.

"Two for Carpenter, please." Mr. Joker noticed that Wendy's cheeks turned a slightly darker color than before as he talked with the greeter.

"But of course, Monsieur Carpenter," the seemingly pompous French man bowed somewhat, "Madame." He motioned for them to follow the waiter standing by. He smiled at them and took them to a table near the back of the swanky restaurant, which beheld a more private atmosphere.

"So, where is Junior at the moment?" Mr. Joker raised an eyebrow at Wendy while looking over the menu.

"He said he was going to look in on that author's place, Miss Sumiregawa's, and then go back to my apartment. I think he'll be fine." Wendy took a sip of the glass of water at her place.

"He's quite capable of defending himself if he needs to…Our Junior is growing up so fast…" Mr. Joker's eyes seemed to sparkle at his last statement. A waitress approached their table gracefully and she kindly asked them if they were ready to order. Wendy looked to her boss and he nodded, letting her order first.

"I think that I'll try your special, please." Wendy smiled back at the young woman and then back at Mr. Joker.

"Make that two, please." He grinned back at Wendy then tried to hide it. Wendy laughed quietly at his expression and beamed, happy that he was enjoying himself.

Even though he had taken her to this fine place, Wendy was still a pleaser and wanted her boss to enjoy himself as much as, if not more, than she did. She loved the way he laughed, though it was rare when he did. She also loved the way he asked her to stay with him when she brought him his morning, afternoon, and occasionally, evening tea. He would smile ever so slightly and say to her, "Wendy, would you care to join me?" She treasured those days and always accepted. She would pour their tea, his always first. They would chat, usually small talk, but occasionally a topic requiring more knowledge than the present weather forecast. Usually Wendy would listen to his frustrations, but there were times when she would interject into the conversation or calmly speak her mind. He would nod in agreement, laugh at her, or not even react. It was his way of doing things, and Wendy loved it.

"Wendy?"

"Yes, Mr. Joker?" Wendy tore her gaze from her plate that was empty.

"It's getting late…Almost nine–thirty." He looked at his watch and then back at her. "I should probably be getting you home."

"Oh! Yes, Junior might be back now even…" Mr. Joker helped Wendy to her feet and she walked with him back to the front of the restaurant and paid for their meal. The man outside was waiting by their car, which he had pulled around to the front several minutes before. He smiled and quietly said to the blonde gentleman, "You may want to stay off the main road. There's been some lightning strikes there and I heard that there were some trees that went down with some power lines."

"Thank you, sir." Mr. Joker whipped out his umbrella again and led Wendy to the passenger side of the car and made sure she did not get a drop of water on her as she climbed into the automobile. She smiled and he quickly got around to the other side of the vehicle. The storm still raged on and the rain poured down on the car as they drove along the slick roads. Wendy was quiet and Mr. Joker did not notice that she had drifted off into a placid sleep, a light smile on her lips as she slumbered. He chuckled to himself as he glanced over at her sleeping figure.

Roughly twenty minutes later, he turned into the drive of her apartment building and she began to stir. The rain had stopped there momentarily and Mr. Joker went around to let Wendy out and walk her to the door. She took his hand and he led her to the door as she fumbled for the keys in her small black purse. When she had retrieved them from the recesses of her purse, Mr. Joker smiled and waited for her to go inside.

"Thank you, Mister Joker. I had a wonderful time with you tonight." Wendy smiled dreamily and gazed at him for a moment. He was so handsome, standing there with a slight grin on his face. Wendy turned to go inside, but Mr. Joker reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned to face him, and as she did he leaned over and brushed his lips against hers is a sweet, innocent kiss. Wendy's eyes lit up and she seemed to relax a great deal as he slowly pulled away.

"Call me Joe, Wendy. I'll see you Monday." He waved behind him as he walked back to his car on the concrete path. Wendy waved back and stepped into her apartment, turning a lamp in the living room on after shutting the door. As she suspected, Junior was back and was presently asleep on the couch with a book in his lap. Wendy laughed to herself and scooped the child into her arms and took him to his own room. She laid him down gently on the bed and put his book on the desk near the door. Wendy smiled at the sleeping boy and closed the door as she left him to sleep. She immediately adjourned to the bathroom and removed the elegant dress from her body, taking care to hang it up. She stripped off her other garments and stepped into a nice, hot shower.

As Wendy bent over to reach the bottle of shampoo on the side of the bathtub and finally the realization of what had occurred donned itself upon her.

"Mr. Joker kissed me…" Wendy whispered to herself, letting the warm water caress her body. She poured some shampoo from the bottle and the fresh scent of fruit and flowers filled the air. "What does it mean?" Wendy proceeded to lather, rinse, and repeat as she pondered this question, repeating it over and over in her mind. She took a white loofah sponge that was on the floor of the tub and poured some brightly colored body wash onto it and continued with her cleaning ritual. The blonde woman turned the water off and stepped out onto the cold tile floor and wrapped a fresh, white fluffy towel around her body. She then walked down the carpeted hall to her bedroom and dressed in some grey sleep pants and an old rugby t-shirt, faded from frequent washings. Wendy took the towel that she had laid on her bed and dried her hair with it so that her blonde locks seemed to frizz out in a tangled mess. The clock on her bedside table indicated that it was almost eleven o' clock as she crawled under the cool sheets and turned out the lamp.

Lightning flashed outside, and Wendy shifted nervously in her bed as the thunder cracked deafeningly. She managed to bury herself in the covers and turn away from the window, but not before she heard a rather loud thump towards the front of her apartment. It was now twelve-thirty. A very frightened feeling came over her and her thoughts immediately wander to Junior and if he was all right. Wendy lay there for several minutes and her nerves calmed slightly until she sensed that she was not alone. For a moment she thought it might just be Junior, but she knew he would not have come to her, even if the weather was violent. She was now quite certain that someone had broken in and Wendy's heart raced even faster as she felt someone sit down on the edge of her bed and the indentation caused her to roll to the side slightly. Her heart seemed to stop and she lay there, frozen in fear for what seemed like hours. Finally, the young secretary mustered enough courage to open her eyes and see what was there. When she did, there was no one in sight and she relaxed a bit. She slowly eased out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans from her dresser and a black hoodie from a chair and dressed hastily. As she was just about to step foot out of her bedroom, lightning flashed and she saw that there indeed was someone in her apartment, other than herself and Junior. He was a handsome man, but a strange fire burned in his eyes as he stared wickedly back at her. Adrenaline began to pump into her blood as she ran down the hall to Junior's room, the man pursing her at a pace faster than her own. She could not scream, for her throat had seemed to dry and she could not utter a sound. As Wendy dashed past the kitchen, she managed to grab a silver candleholder. She lobbed the hunk of metal at him and made a direct hit. A direct hit that only seemed to aggravate him. Now Wendy screamed as the shady figure reached out and grabbed her wrist roughly, pulling her to him.

Junior's eyes flashed open as he heard Wendy's chilling scream from the hall. He quickly got up and silently reached for the pistol that he always kept at hand. He was able to sneak out unnoticed, not that it was difficult for someone with such "talents" as he. The first thing he saw was Wendy being held a bit too close to a strange man and the second was that this intruder had a knife from the kitchen in his hand, and had pressed it against Wendy's throat. A tear trickled down her face, but she could not bring herself to speak. Junior waited a moment, despite the urge he had to jump this strange man with extreme prejudice. He whispered something to Wendy and more tears streamed down her face, but they were no longer tears of fear. These tears of hate dropped to the ground and as she was held there, Wendy noticed Junior. A flash of lightning had once again illuminated the darkness of the night and Junior slipped back into his room then began to phase through the walls and into the living room. Junior was now behind this man and he said quietly, and in a very monotonous tone,

"What are you doing to Miss Wendy?"

The black clad man turned to face the young boy and was promptly kicked in the shins by Wendy, who scrambled to her own feet. He cursed under his breath and wielded his knife fiercely. Wendy growled, her anger showing as Junior pointed his own gun at the man. This "gentleman" smiled at him viciously and lunged. Unexpectedly, he lunged at Wendy, but she managed to grab his wrist and relieve him of his weapon, though the knife sliced her aim in the process.

Junior wanted to avoid this situation becoming worse, but he had no choice. The single shot that he fired was enough and the trespasser dropped to the floor, his body growing colder by the second. The blood from his wound mixed with blood on the kitchen floor that was gushing out of a horrific gash in Wendy's arm. Her sleeve was torn and her flesh was sliced, and Junior thought for a moment that he could see a bit of bone. She saw Junior reach for the phone, but the image became distorted and blurry, and she blacked out on the smooth, cold tile.

The light was bright when Wendy finally opened her eyes and she quickly shut them tightly.

"Wake up, sleepy head."

She immediately opened them again at the familiar voice of her boss. Mr. Joker did not smile, but instead placed his hand over hers. She gave him an exhausted grin and looked over to the window. Junior was standing there, gazing out to the street below, and then he looked over at the woman that had raised him.

"Are…Are you alright, Miss Wendy?" His voice quavered as his attention turned to her bandaged arm.

"I will be, Junior." She smiled at him and nodded. Mr. Joker stood, supporting himself with his cane. He walked over to the window and stood quietly next to Junior, and he leaned over to him.

"You'd best be getting to school now, Junior." He whispered to the boy.

"Yes, Mister Carpenter." Junior slipped out the door, looking back with a concerned gaze at Miss Wendy. After Junior closed the door and was gone, Mr. Joker took a seat in the brightly colored floral chair in the corner of the hospital room. He appeared deep in thought, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The long silence between the two made Wendy slightly uncomfortable. She did not know what to say, but fortunately, Joker asked her a question.

"Wendy…tell me what happened exactly. I want another side of the story." He remained in the chair, a nondescript expression on his face.

"Junior wasn't much help then?" Wendy sighed, not particularly wanting to think about, much less replay the incident in her mind.

"I just want to hear it from your point of view." Wendy's boss face changed slightly, an anxious glint in his eyes. Wendy documented the disturbing affair as best as she could remember and Mr. Joker recorded the account. He nodded occasionally and asked some questions, then told Wendy that she could go home later that afternoon.

"This could've been much worse, you know." Mr. Joker gave an exasperated smile. "They will not be through investigating and cleaning your apartment until Wednesday, so you and Junior will be staying with me. I've got a guest room that hasn't seen any visitors in quite a while." Wendy smiled tenderly and thanked him.

"Thank you, Mister Joke—" She stopped when he shook his head. "Joe?" The secretary tried again. For the first time that morning, Mr. Joe Carpenter smiled with as much delight as he could muster.

"I'll be back to pick you up at two." Joker glanced at his watch," Now, you are under strict orders to get some rest." He rose to his feet and walked to the bedside. Joe leaned over and planted a light kiss on the side of Wendy's face and made his way to the door. Wendy wanted to say what her heart had told her all along, but she was unable to find the proper words, so he left quietly without her speaking a word.

Wendy brought her legs closed to her body, partially curling into a ball. She took deep, slow breaths that seemed to relax her. The pain in her arm had dulled and Wendy was glad that she did not have to stay the night in the hospital. According to the clock, it was around nine-thirty. A white-clad nurse entered the room, knocking before she came to check on the unusually calm lady. The nurse was a brunette and her eyes were a bright green that shone with compassion.

"Miss Earhart, how are you this morning?" She inquired of Wendy while checking her patient's blood pressure and other various statistics.

"I think it's safe to say that I'm much better than yesterday." Wendy could not help but smile at the cheerful young woman.

"That's wonderful! Nasty cut, that was!" She exclaimed, pointing at Wendy's bandaged arm. "My name's Hope and I'll be your nurse for the day."

"It's very nice to meet you, Hope." Wendy continued carrying a bright smile as Hope went about her business in the room.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Hope opened the door and retrieved a piece of folded paper from the bin attached to the wall to the left of the door. "That boy that was here earlier…the one who called us about you…"

"Junior?" Wendy raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yes! That's him!" Hope smiled, "He wanted me to give you this." She handed Wendy the paper, which turned out to be a card. There were pictures of different flowers drawn on the front and the words 'Get Well Soon' were written next to them. Wendy opened the card and found a very nice letter from Junior about how much she meant to him and that he hoped she'd be okay. "He worked all night on it while you were asleep. Poor thing only got about two hours of sleep last night. Then that Mister Carpenter fellow came in and stayed here almost all day Sunday."

"How long was I asleep?" Wendy frowned, slightly confused. Hope thought for a moment and then spoke.

"A little more than a day. You were tired, barely able to talk." Wendy nodded. She had slept straight through Sunday and she was slightly dazed. Hope put a remote control on the bed, in Wendy's reach.

"Just let me know if you need anything, Miss Earhart."

I hoped that you guys enjoyed the first chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it! Please review! Also, check out my art account to see some pictures that go along with the story.


	2. Breakfast with a Stranger

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and they are property of their respected creators. Some of them, such as Hope and the villains are based after some of my friends…not to say that some of my friends are evil…

"Alright…thank you." Wendy turned on the television once Hope had left. It was all standard news, but one thing was mentioned that caught her attention. The reporter began to talk about strange break-ins, generally involving apartments. Investigators have not yet uncovered any leads to the reason for these violent attacks. One woman, Wendy Earhart, was attacked Saturday night and was sent to the hospital. The mysterious man was shot and killed, in self-defense, by a minor whose name will not be released. Earhart is the guardian of the minor and they were alone. In other new—"

Wendy turned the television off and rolled over on her side. It bothered her that there were similar occurrences of break-ins happening and she was the one who got the publicity. She was not fond of drawing attention to herself and hated being interviewed for newspapers and hated it even more to be on the television. It was a bit after lunchtime and a knock on the door signaled the entrance of a nurse with Wendy's meal. Much to Wendy's delight, it was Hope again.

"Good afternoon Miss Earhart!" Hope's face beamed as she placed the plate of strange, odd looking hospital food. "I hope you like turkey…though I don't suppose you've ever had hospital food before."

"Well, it can't be any worse than the school cafeteria food. We used to have chicken nuggets that bounced." Hope laughed at Wendy's comment and was about to leave. "Hope?"

"Yes, Miss Earhart?" Wendy motioned for Hope to come back.

"Would you care to join me?" A calm, inviting smiled fell across the young woman's face.

"Well, I'll be on my break in a few minutes anyway, so why not?" Hope grinned, plopping down into the chair next to the window. "So, Miss Earhart, what do you do? For a job?"

"Please, call me Wendy, Hope." The blonde woman took a sporkful of jell-o. "I work for the Royal British Library as a secretary for the Special Operations Squad. We're, that is Mr. Carpenter and I, are here to do some…recovery work." Wendy paused, realizing that she was yakking on about semi-confidential information. Hope's jaw dropped.

"That's amazing! That also explains your accent…"

"You are not from Japan either, are you Hope?" Wendy raised one eyebrow curiously.

"No," she giggled," I came here to study and then fell in love with the country. I'm from Mississippi."

"Ah, America. The truth comes out!" Wendy laughed lightly, taking a sip of water as the giggle quieted. Hope brushed back a tuft of her soft, brown locks of hair, tucking it behind her ear.

"Do you have any hobbies, Wendy?" Hope smiled, trying to keep a conversation going.

"Hmm…I played rugby in high school…and I organize offices and bookshelves. How about you?" Wendy blushed. She had to admit that her life beyond the library was just about non-existent

"I always loved to sing…I played bass clarinet in school a bit." Hope laughed, fingering a tune on her invisible instrument.

"Do you think you could sing something for me?" Wendy asked shyly. Hope's face lit up and she replied quickly.

"I'd love to!" She hummed a little tune to warm up and then took a breath.

"_There's a song that's inside of my soul…It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again…I'm awake in the infinite cold, but you sing to me over and over and over again._

So, I lay my head back down…and I lift my hands and pray…to be only yours, I pray, to be only yours. I know now you're my only hope." 

Wendy noticed how pure and perfect Hope's voice was. It was literally angelic!

_  
"Sing to me the song of the stars…of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again. When it feels like my dreams are so far…sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again. _

_  
So, I lay my head back down…and I lift my hands and pray…to be only yours, I pray, to be only yours. I know now you're my only hope._

I give you my destiny…I'm giving you all of me. I want your symphony, singing in all that I am at the top of my lungs; I'm giving it back. 

So, I lay my head back down…and I lift my hands and pray…to be only yours, I pray, to be only yours. I know now you're my only hope."

Hope continued to hum quietly, as if in her own world. Wendy felt small tears roll down her face.

"Wendy? Are you okay? I didn't mean to make you cry!" Hope quickly stood and walked to the bedside. She leaned over and put her arms around Wendy in a comforting, friendly hug. Wendy smiled and brushed the tears from her eyes. She felt absolutely silly crying about something like a song. She was a grown woman and hadn't cried so easily in years. Wendy concluded that her emotions were a bit over-sensitive at the moment and she pushed the thought out of her mind for the moment. Just then, the clock on the wall struck two and there was a light knock on the door.

"Two already! Goodness, I'd better get going!" Hope rushed to the door with Wendy's empty plate in hand and then turned back to her new friend.

"I'll be back in Mississippi for a while if you want to visit me, Wendy!" Hope opened the door and allowed a white-clad doctor to enter with Mr. Joker behind him.

"Miss Earhart! How are we this fine afternoon?" The middle-aged man peered over his glasses at her and grinned. He reminded Wendy of her childhood doctor back home.

"I'm not a professional, but I'd say I'm better than before." Wendy could not contain the grin she tried so hard to conceal. Mr. Joker shook his head lightly at the whimsy of his secretary, though it was out of kindness.

"Well, I think that you are right!" The doctor smiled," Can you stand and walk alright?" Wendy nodded and swung her legs out from under the bedclothes and stood slowly, but confidently. The grey-haired man clapped once and proclaimed that she could leave as soon as she was ready. Only now did it dawn on Wendy that she was in one of those silly hospital gowns and a blush fell over her cheeks when she caught Mr. Joker's eyes with her own. The doctor removed a clipboard from the end of her bed and waltzed out, taking the nameplate that read "Wendy Earhart" from the door with his. Mr. Joker turned around as Wendy pulled some spare clothes from a bag that she assumed Junior had packed before coming here. She dressed promptly, vaguely embarrassed to be divulging herself in the same room as her boss. The beaming secretary tapped Mr. Joker on the shoulder and they proceeded down the hall and out to his waiting car. She was slightly unnerved at the moment. Wendy thought it odd that she was so…happy. It simply was bizarre that after being somewhat violated and nearly killed by a stranger, who, now that she thought of him, seemed peculiarly familiar, she was so blissfully unaware of the real situation. She also sensed some slight tension between herself and Mr. Joker. He was quiet and was barely able to look at her, tearing his gaze away from hers every time their eyes met. He also seemed tired, not that that was unusual or anything, but to Wendy, he seemed to be avoiding something.

Mr. Joker opened the car door for her and helped his secretary ease into the passenger's seat. She smoothed the khaki shirt she wore, careful of the modesty she strived to keep. When Joker slid into the driver's seat, Wendy could not hide her smile. He had put on a pair of "Matrix" sunglasses and looked a bit like one of the agents back at the Library. He turned the keys in the ignition and they were off.

"We must make a stop at the school, to pick up Junior." Joker said, more to himself than to Wendy. He wasn't intentionally trying to snub her, but he knew something now and it had made him rather upset. In fact, he probably hadn't even realized that he was avoiding conversation with her. Joe Carpenter had always had somewhat of a problem with getting too involved with his own thoughts. The car door swung open and Junior was now in the back seat. They had stopped in the street in front of the school and now jr. high school students flooded into the courtyard as the bell rang and the boy was able to make a small gesture that proclaimed 'see you tomorrow' to a girl who had waved at him. It was, Wendy knew, the paper master Anita King. It was hard not to notice her, having pink hair and all.

They drive was relatively quiet. The only conversation that was conveyed was between Junior and Wendy. She had thanked him for the card after he asked her how she was feeling, and then awkward silence lingered in the car until they turned into the parking lot of a series of rather nice apartments. Junior hopped out and opened the door for Miss Wendy. Mr. Joker was already at the door, in the process of unlocking it.

He had half of the bottom floor to himself and was blessed with a middle-aged couple that was not what people considered social as neighbors. He managed to fake a smile and let Wendy and Junior enter in front of him. He came after them, closing and locking the door behind him. He took Wendy's bag and motioned for her to follow him. They walked down a rather short hall and turned into a room at the end. It had a double bed, a variety of blankets were laid out and several pillows rested against a rustic headboard. It was very nice, and also unfamiliar, which Wendy was rather thankful for. At the moment, she could not imagine being in her bedroom at home, much less sleeping there. She was sure that the image of that man would haunt her for weeks, months even.

"Thank you, Joker." Wendy smiled slightly. He nodded briskly and returned to the main living area. Junior sat on the couch, working on math homework, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The tall, slender man retreated to the kitchen and began to think about what they'd be having for dinner. Wendy emerged from the back room and smiled at Junior, who smiled back as he rose to stretch. Mr. Joker settled for pancakes. It was pretty much the only thing he could make that was edible, or at least for guests. He reached up and retrieved a box of pancake mix and a bowl to mix it in with a cup of milk. He saw Wendy out of the corner of his eye, peering under the kitchen cabinets that rested above a counter at him. Seeing him, Wendy offered to help him cook. He was going to deny her, but against his better judgment to allow his secretary to lend a hand. Wendy hummed quietly as the whisk found its way into her hand and she beat madly away at the cream colored mixture. Mr. Joker took care of getting the stove heated and preparing a pan that the pancakes would bake in. Wendy brought the bowl to Mr. Joker and he poured the mixture into the sizzling pan.

Within minutes, the three were sitting around Mr. Joker's kitchen table chowing down on pancakes soaked in maple syrup. None of then spoke a word until Wendy stood to clear the table.

"I'll take care of it Miss Wendy." Junior took the dirty plates and utensils from her hands and took them to the sink. He poured a drop of dish soap onto each item and scrubbed them down with a brush specifically for cleaning dishes and the like. Mr. Joker got to his feet and stopped in front of Wendy.

"You are welcome to make use of the bathroom down the hall," He motioned as he spoke. "If you need anything, I will be in my office…er…room." The apparently fatigued gentleman made his way down the hall to the first room on the left, closing the door behind him. Wendy thanked him and returned to the guest room. She took a green tank top from her bag and the grey sleep pants she wore to bed in her arms. Wendy informed Junior that she was going to be in the bath, and he nodded slightly then quickly returned to his work.

Wendy closed the bathroom door and lay her clothes down on the counter. The room had an oceanic theme to it, the shower curtain depicting a Caribbean paradise. Wendy could not help but smile at sight of the pleasant scene. She removed her other garments and waited for the tub to fill with warm water. She reached down and turned off the water, then stepped in, one foot at a time. Wendy eased slowly into the water and immediately relaxed. That is, until her right arm was under water. She winced at the sharp pain at quickly patted the wound dry with a towel. For the first time, Wendy examined her arm. It was red and slightly swollen; the five-inch gash was sewn together with clear stitches. No blood came off on the towel, but she made sure to keep her arm out of the water.

Now she could unwind and Wendy sank back into the bathtub. He hair floated in the water like seaweed and she allowed her head to sink far enough into the water so that only her mouth and nose were above the water. Wendy's eyes were closed and nothing in particular invaded her thoughts. She simply was, and it was the first time that she felt free of stress.

Wendy must have dozed off, because she woke with a start at the light knock on the door.

"Miss Wendy…? Are you alright?" It was Junior.

"Um…Yes. I must have fallen asleep." Wendy rose from the bath and proceeded to dry off with a fluffy beige towel. She dressed quickly and was through in just a few minutes, even after brushing her teeth, too. Wendy emerged from the bathroom to find Junior with a toothbrush in hand, waiting.

"I'm sorry, Junior, for making you wait." Wendy forced a laugh. Junior nodded and quietly assured her that he hadn't waited for long. She headed down the hall to the guestroom and turned down the bedclothes. Junior was sleeping on the couch, she concluded, because a pillow was missing, as was an extra blanket. Wendy settled down, though it was difficult for her to get comfortable. She realized that the last time she had gone to bed, she was not alone. She griped the goose-down pillow tightly, burying her face into its plush. A tear rolled down her face. The memories of that terrifying night returned to her now and her heart was heavy with great sorrow. The light coming from the living room was blocked by a shadow. Wendy tried to compose herself, but she felt two sturdy arms wrap around her before she could turn and face Joker. He held her in his arms for a long while and she buried her face into his chest. Mr. Carpenter pulled Wendy into his arms, his face nuzzled in her hair. She looked up at him, her deep azure eyes damp with tears. He cupped her face in his hands and brushed away the new tear that rolled from her eye with his thumb. Wendy sobbed there, in her boss's arms, taking staggering breaths every so often. Her body shook and shuddered in the comfort of his arms, and Wendy could not even think about how long she had waited for Joker to wrap his arms around her. She had hoped that it would occur under different circumstances, but it didn't seem to matter any longer. Joseph brought Wendy's face close to his and her placed a tender kiss on her quivering lips. She leaned in closer and continued to cry, silently. She took a breath before he kissed her for a second time, a kiss she returned.

"Oh, Wendy…" Joker spoke evenly and held his secretary in his affectionate embrace. "I'm sorry that he hurt you…" He let her sit there, crying into his arms for a long while before he could bring himself to speak. "They found out who he was…a young man named Christopher Kerr, I believe it was. An old "friend" of yours?"

Wendy felt as though time had stopped when the name registered with her mind. Not Chris, there was just no way! Chris was a vibrant, generally kind chap that was in her classes at school. He had been class president and somewhat of a class clown.

Wendy shuddered and Joker tightened the grip his arms had around her. He had also been on of the few guys that Wendy dated. Their relationship was never serious and he wasn't all that phased when Wendy had drawn the line on some of his advances. They separated only days before the end of their junior year. Mr. Joker slowly let go of her in order to see Wendy's face.

"Thank you…"

Joker had his arms lightly around her waist and his chin rested on her head, and Wendy closed her eyes. Once he was sure that Wendy had fallen asleep, he picked her up as best as he could and lay her back down on the bed, her head on the pillow. Before retrieving his cane from its place on the dresser, Joker pulled the sheets and comforter over his secretary and then quietly left her to rest.

Wendy woke with a start, her heart pounding and her head throbbing. She was drenched in cold sweat and she shuddered. It appeared to be rather early outside, but she decided to go ahead and get out of bed. Wendy swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached down and into her bag.

"Khakis…blouse…jeans…suit…" Wendy mutters, tossing the garments from the bag and onto the bed. The quaint guestroom now looked about the same as a messy teenage hangout, clothes strewn about in no particular order. Socks, three and a half pairs of shoes, and other garments littered the floor as Wendy tried to decide what she would wear. She would, after all, being going to work for a while today. Frustrated and half awake, Wendy promptly fell back onto the bed. Just now noticing the digital clock resting on the wood bedside table, it became apparent to Wendy that she was running out of time. It was about 6:15 in the morning and she usually left for the office at 7:30.

Finally, Wendy decided to wear the khakis, the blouse, and the black suit coat over it all. She reached back into the bag and came back with a hairbrush, which was put to use without delay. A whisk of foundation, a dab of blush, and a splash of eye shadow later, Wendy exited the guestroom and headed into the kitchen where she found a note. It was in Joker's handwriting and was messier than usual.

"Taken Junior to school…Pick you up at 7:45…Joseph"

"He could be a doctor with penmanship like that…" Wendy mumbled, taking a white ceramic bowl from a shelf. She eventually found her way to the cabinet that Mr. Carpenter kept his cereal and chose to go with the 'Frosted Cheerios'. The blonde young woman poured about a cup of the sugar dusted whole grain into the bowl and drowned it with some two percent milk.

Taking a seat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, Wendy noticed that a window was open.

"How odd…" She thought, but didn't bother to let her fears sink in. The only thing she heard was the crunching of cereal in her mouth, just like those silly advertisements with the blue-collar man getting fired twelve times in the last two weeks. Just as she picked up the bowl off the counter in order to slurp her milk, Wendy was sure that she heard something. It was no surprise that her mind would wander into memories of the previous night. The secretary shifted nervously at her seat, eyes quickly glancing from side to side. Thud. A footstep. Wendy felt as if she would past out, dizziness and fear plaguing her. Click. The sound of a clip locking into a gun. As she placed the bowl back onto the marble counter, the felt pressure on the back of her head.

"Don't move."


End file.
